Soft Pretzel Bites with Sesame Seeds

Preparation

In a small bowl or cup, dissolve yeast in the warm water and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes. Stir sugar and salt into the yeast mixture. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine bread flour, all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Add the yeast mixture. Knead for 4-6 minutes, adding flour if the dough seems very sticky. The dough should feel elastic, soft and smooth.

Place dough ball in a greased bowl (use butter or non-stick spray), cover it with a dish towel and allow dough to rise for 45 minutes to an hour in a warm place. I like to turn the oven to 200° F, then turn it off and place the bowl in the oven.

When dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a counter dusted with flour. Cut dough into 8-12 portions. Roll portions one at a time into a rope, about 12 inches long and one inch in diameter. Cut the rope into 8-12 pieces, depending on how big you want each pretzel bite.

In a shallow bowl, mix 1 cup warm water with 1 tablespoon baking soda.
Dip each pretzel bite quickly into the water and baking soda solution then transfer to a parchment lined baking pan.

Place pans of pretzel bites back into a warm place and allow to rise another 45 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Brush pretzel bites with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt and toasted sesame seeds. Bake pretzel bites for 12-14 minutes, until slightly golden on top.

Remove pretzel bites from oven and allow to cool (although they were pretty darned tasty warm from the oven!) Store in a sealed container for 3-4 days.